Inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras have become quite feature-laden. Manufacturers are struggling to bring the user added functionality like smart capture, face recognition, and HD video capture, while keeping the cameras easy-to-use. Kodak has so much experience in this field that we were excited to take a look at one of their EasyShare digital cameras, the M580. This camera is designed to not only be easy to operate, but to make sharing pictures and videos extremely simple.

The Kodak M580 comes in a simple box in the traditional bright yellow and black Kodak colors, as shown in Figure 1.

click to enlargeFigure 1: The M580 in the box

The contents of the box, shown in Figure 2, include the camera, a USB charging and computer-connection cable, and a wall plug adapter for the cable. A small User Guide and a flyer telling you that the software will automatically install when you connect the camera to your computer are also included.

One nice touch is the fact that both the cable and the plug are labeled with the word “Kodak.” Those of you who have struggled to find the proper cable for a device like this will appreciate this small, but thoughtful addition. We also like the fact that there is no extra charging pack. You use the cable to attach the camera to a computer or use the cable and the wall plug to charge it from a wall outlet.

click to enlargeFigure 2: Inside the box

As you can see in Figure 2, this Kodak camera is a typical rectangular pocketable camera that measures 4.0 × 2.3 × 1.0 inches (100.8 x 59.5 x 25.6 mm), and weighs only 5.2 oz (150 g). The M580 comes in silver, light blue, brown, purple, or pink. Although the pink is quite bright, the purple camera that we reviewed was a dark color that often looked more gray than purple.

The body of the M580 is made of mostly metal giving the camera a nice sturdy look and feel. It has several small stylish effects that differentiate it from other cameras of this size and shape. You will notice this in things like the unusual shape of the flash on the front of the camera.